A material called graphene has recently been discovered to have properties believed to make it an excellent component of integrated circuits. Graphene is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The carbon-carbon bond length in graphene is approximately 1.42 Å. Graphene is the basic structural element of all other graphitic materials including graphite, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes.
Currently, most graphene films are produced by exfoliation from natural graphite or are grown by thermal evaporation of silicon from single crystals of silicon carbide. Recently, attempts have been made to grow graphene on metal surfaces by introducing carbon to the metal using chemical vapor deposition, such as exposing the metal surface to methane. However, in the process of using chemical vapor deposition, hydrogen is present during the precursor stage which may lead to defects in the graphene. Further, it is difficult to grow patterned mono layers of graphite (i.e., graphene) using this process. That is, it is difficult to control the amount of carbon introduced in the metal using the process of chemical vapor deposition with precise dimensional control. In order to continue the progress towards developing smaller and more efficient semiconductor devices, growing graphene is highly desired.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to introduce controlled quantities of carbon in a metal thereby more effectively growing graphene. Further, there is a need in the art for a process in growing graphene without the presence of hydrogen to reduce the risk of defects in the graphene.